Run But Never Escape
by The Lost Laurelezz
Summary: Alya Maréne is a young woman with weird powers. She's not a Shinigami, not a Hollow of any kind - still Seiretei seeks for her help. But can she really help them, since the problems of her own seem to follow her wherever she goes..?
1. Hellos from the Past

CH1: Hellos from the Past

Alya Maréne yawned, stretched her arms behind her head and then put her hands on the back of her head, humming quietly and looking at the ceiling. Such a peaceful looking day, yet out there was a chaos. Lately there had been a lot of car accidents in the outskirts of Tokyo, and all of them seemed really strange. The drivers simply had lost the control of their vehicles, driving off from the road or colliding with other cars, getting themselves killed. Maréne and her team, specialized in reconstructing the so-called accidental cars, had found no errors in the cars' systems, such as ABS-breaks. There were no reasons for the accidents, yet they still occured. And then there were the autopsys. Maréne frowned at the ceiling. No heart attacks, no signs of epilepsy or any other disease that could have affected the drivers. They were not under the influence of any drug or alcohol.

They had just lost the control of their vehicles.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in", Maréne cooed.

The door opened silently, and one guy from her team peeked in. "Miss, there's someone who wishes to see you. Now." The guy was wearing his helmet, but Maréne recognized him to be one of the Gaslery twins, Érec.

"Oh, Érec, the hell are you wearing that helmet for? Is there a new case in?" They had worn their helmets for so long that it was almost impossible to not to wear them, but when dealing with outsiders they were able to put them aside. When the real work started again, they covered their faces again with the familiar mask. No one questioned that. Maréne had not worn hers for the last seven years, but her uniform was always underneath her casual clothes. They all left their weapons at the Garage whenever they had to go outside. Usually it was Maréne, the boss, who went out: the rest of the team was only glad to stay inside.

Érec ignored her question about the helmet. "No, miss; but there's a young man who wishes to see you, asap."

Maréne felt how her stomach twisted nastily. "A young man?" she repeated, trying to think who that could be. Then Érec described him to her, and Maréne went first all pale, then all red from her face. "Tell him I'm terribly busy and awfully sorry that I can't see him now", she said hastily. Érec's silence was beyond curiousity. Suddenly her cellphone started to ring. They stared at each other for a moment that seemed like an eternity, but finally Érec nodded, retreated and closed the door. Sighing with relief, Maréne answered the phone without even looking at who was calling her. "Alya Maréne of the Garage, how can I help you?" she said in a happy tone that revealed her unhappiness. Soon her smile faded as she recognized the voice of the caller. "You", she said, sounding rather cold. "How did you find me..? What? You've been watching me? You little-! What? No, I don't have time for this now, you-"

"_Aah, but Maréne-san, you're in a little debt, now aren't you?_"

Maréne stared out of the window. _Is one of them somewhere there, right now? Watching me? Listening to me? _The sun was setting, its last rays beautifully orange and red, reflected by the roofs of the industrial area. "..I guess so. But it's been years, why now?"

"_Ahaha, that's true, very true. Go to Soul Society and meet Ukitake-san and Kyoraku-san to know more._"

"Wait! Urahara, you're not in Soul Society now?"

"_..Haven't been for years, actually. Hehehe... Anyway, Maréne-san, hurry!_"

"Urahara-! Oh, damn him to Hell." Maréne threw the phone back on the table and considered her options. She could forget about her debt and leave the Shinigami to deal with their own affairs. Or she could go and see two Captains Urahara had mentioned, and then reconsider the situation after hearing what they had to say. And what if she didn't go? Gotei 13 could be a great ally - or an enemy. And Maréne was not in the condition to fight them all. Suddenly a thought occured to her mind: what if these strange car accidents were due to something that was happening up there? Or was it just a coincidence? She stood up, placing her palms on the table. It could be a coincidence, or...

"Boss?" It was now Beliánra Vusel', one of the few females in the team. She sounded worried. "The young man is getting impatient, saying that he must see you. That you remind him of someone he used to know."

Maréne made up her mind. Surely whatever Soul Society was facing couldn't be as bad as facing someone who was supposed to think you were dead. She snapped her fingers, disappeared from her office and reappeared in the Garage's part where their own cars were held. The black Hummer was waiting for her, its motor already purring and lights flickering. GOOD DAY, DRIVER, it greeted her. "Yes, yes, shall we go? To Soul Society." She climbed to the driver's seat, and the door closed by itself. The car drove itself backwards as the door with a movement detector opened, drove to the road and turned around. Maréne quickly placed her left hand on the wheel, and her right on the gears. "I'll drive by myself, thank you very much", she told the car. AS YOU WISH, DRIVER. Looking guiltily at the front door, she pushed the gas and drove off, heading to the motorway.

Inside the building in which the Garage was held, Érec and his brother Dére were holding back a young man with black, short hair and green-blue eyes: he was trying to enter Maréne's office by force, but failed - the twins were both tall and muscular, and he was short (compared to the twins) and thin. "Let me in, I know she's there, I gotta see her-" he growled.

But Beliánra turned around and said: "She's not there!"

Silence. The men stopped fighting. "What?" Érec said. "But I just came from there, and she was-"

The three of the team exchanged looks, and Dére crossed his arms around his wide chest. "I see", he said. His brother repeated his words, and both were nodding their heads. The young visitor looked angrier and angrier by the moment, and finally he yelled: "What is it? Where is she?" But they refused to give him any answer, and finally he left, cursing in some weird language as he marched out.

Beliánra looked worried. "Did you hear him?"

"What?" the twins said together, both scratching their heads.

"He just cursed.. with the same words Miss Maréne sometimes does.."

The twins laughed. "You must've misheard him, dear", they said together. But Beliánra was not so sure about that. _Wonder where the boss went... _


	2. The Spider and Machinery part I

CH2: The Spider and Machinery part I

The sun was still shining brightly, though soon it would go down the horizon, and switch places with the moon till the dawn. The princess of the Kasumi-Oji family, Lurichiyo, and her fiancé, Shuu Kannogi, were playing hide-and-seek with the mansion guards, though the guards were most likely to think their disappearance not as a game but as a horrifying burden. But the two had fun, especially Lurichiyo who was always ready to take a break from her ever-growing responsibilities - she was a child, after all, and children need games to keep themselves going. Shuu was more concerned of the concern of their searches, but Lurichiyo waved her hand and told him not to worry.

"Come on, Shuu-kun, this is the first time in _months_ that we have been able to get out of the mansion!" Lurichiyo explained her reasons, glaring at her assistant-in-crime.

"But..."

"No buts!"

"Oh.."

They were hiding behind a large bush with a group of trees around them. They were far off from the mansion, much more farther than Lurichiyo had first planned, and she had to admit that it did worry her a bit. But she thought Soul Society to be safe, even the area outside the walls of Seireitei. Yes, they had found a way around the guards, and now they were - in nervous happiness - exploring the area they had never ever seen before. "We will head back soon, don't worry Shuu-kun", Lurichiyo assured her companion. Shuu nodded. They were about to leave their hideout when they both froze. "Captains of Gotei 13!" she hissed, took a hold of Shuu's kimono and retreated back behind the bush.

Lurichiyo knew them to be Captains by the white hayori they wore, but she couldn't recall their names, which kind of bothered her mind for a while. "Are they looking for us?" she wondered aloud, but the two obviously hadn't yet noticed them. They were standing in the open field, waiting. But who were they waiting for? Lurichiyo couldn't figure that out. "Let's spy on them!"

"Eehh? Spy on Captains of Gotei 13?" Shuu whispered back, covering his mouth. Lurichiyo hissed him to be quiet.

"Did you hear anything, Ukitake?" Kyoraku said, smiling gently at his fellow Captain. Ukitake nodded but didn't remove his eyes from the horizon. "Wonder if she'll come?" Kyoraku then said, also turning his eyes back on the horizon.

"I can't say. But... Urahara said that he had a plan on how to make her come here."

"Oh? I bet it was something nasty..."

"...Probably so."

They saw a flash in the sky, and heard a roar. Something tiny and black was heading towards them at a high-speed. "A Hollow?" Ukitake worried. Kyoraku said nothing but a quiet 'hmm', and as they watched the tiny flying object grew and grew, and finally they both recognized the object. Ukitake sighed in relief. "It is her", he said, closing his eyes.

Soon the Hummer was above their heads, and someone jumped off to the ground before the two Captains. The young woman had longish, purple hair, pale green eyes and a tanned, expressionless face. She was small and thin, but her arms were muscular. She was wearing the blue-black-purple uniform, her three swords hanging from her back. Her hands were covered in black gloves and bracelets. The Hummer drove itself on the ground, and the roaring of the motor ceased.

Kyoraku smiled at her. "Seems like you've learned to hide it, Maréne-chan", he said.

Alya Maréne glanced at him coldly, but did smile in return. "Well, first thing we were to learn was to create illusions. It just took me a while to make this one, you know." She lifted her right arm and frowned. "Urahara called me and said you two wanted to talk with me 'bout something. Spit it out, Shinigami."

"My my, you've grown so ru~de", Kyoraku laughed, stretching the last word. Maréne's face showed her disapproval.

"Don't mind of him, Maréne-san", Ukitake said, lifting his arms and showing his bare palms. "We need your help."

"Ehh? I thought you Shinigami were capable of handling stuff by yourselves. Besides, you know that I ain't in a good condition for a battle." Her eyes were wide open and glowing, her head tilted on the left. Her hands moved on to the hilts of her swords. "I said; spit it out, or I'll leave."

"Who is she?" Shuu whispered to Lurichiyo. Lurichiyo had no idea and couldn't answer to his question. But the woman seemed scary, and now Lurichiyo wished she had let Kenryuu and Enryuu know of her plans on leaving the walls of Seireitei.

Speaking of the devil, she suddenly heard a familiar voice yelling for her name. "Lurichiyo~o-sama! Shuu-sama! Where are you?" The Captains and the woman turned to look, only to face the two desperate searches. "Ukitake-taichou-san! Kyoraku-taichou-san!" Kenryuu was out of breath, but recovered rather quickly. Lurichiyo put her head deeper to the bush. "Have you seen... Lurichiyo-sama?"

"Oh, is she missing again?" Kyoraku said, laughing. Ukitake smiled as well, but his eyes seemed worried. Maréne rose her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders. She glanced over Enryuu who looked back at her, and the two had a little staring competition. Maréne gave up rather quickly. They had Zanpakuto, but didn't seem to be part of the Gotei 13.

Lurichiyo was curious to see what was going on, and so she gathered her courage to take a little peek. But when she opened her eyes, she saw something awful. "S-shuu-kun", she whispered. "Do not move!"

"Eh?"

"You... you have a spider on your head!"


	3. The Spider and Machinery part II

CH3: The Spider and Machinery part II

"Shuu-kun!" Lurichiyo whispered. "Please stay calm, but... you have a spider on your head!"

"What?" Shuu screamed, and jumped to the open field, his hands above his head, running straight towards the adults, yelling that there was a spider on his head.

"Kids", Maréne muttered, and disappeared in a flash before anyone else was able to react, so sudden was Shuu's appearance from the little forest. She reappeared by his side, took his arm and made him halt. Maréne took the spider off with her right arm, threw the insect away and screamed: "Eeew!" To everyone's surprise, she drew her guns and shot several times at the spider who was exploded by her bullets. Panting, she stared at the dead insect from which thin smoke rose, gunpowder tingling in her nostrils.

Kyoraku was the first one to move; he closed his eyes and touched his hat. "My. Was it really necessary to use a _gun _against a mere spider?"

Maréne turned and pointed him with her still-smoking gun. "Shut the hell up!"

"Kyoraku is right", Ukitake said, his body shivering. _She reacted so fast... _"Perhaps you overdid it a little..."

Maréne put her guns back and snorted. "Anyway, seems like you two-" she pointed at Kenryuu and Enryuu, both looking surprised by her actions "-have found what you were looking for. The other kid, the princess herself I presume, is still hiding in the bush." Her finger moved on to the place where the boy had appeared from, and the two bodyguards couldn't help it but follow that finger with their eyes. "And you two-" she turned back to the Captains "-still haven't explained me what you need me for." Her eyes were now definitely glowing, and Shuu shivered in fear. There was something scary about her.

"It's a matter we perhaps shouldn't talk about here, Maréne-chan", Kyoraku said, smiling at the members of the Kasumi-Oji family. "Yami-jii doesn't want people to get worried over nothing, you see."

"Eeh?" Maréne put her hands back on the hilts of her swords. "Hiding stuff from your citizens, now aren't you, Shinigami?" She tilted her head to the left again.

"Don't look at me with those eyes, Maréne-chan."

Her face darkened. "Can't really help it, you know."

"Who .. are you?" Kenryuu managed to ask. He seemed stunned. But Maréne only glanced at him once, and turned her eyes away. Ukitake swallowed and said: "Well, Kenryuu-dono, perhaps you and Enryuu-dono should lead princess and her fiancé back to the mansion..." He let his voice face, but the message was clear: even though of the recent incidents, the Shinigami weren't ready to share their issues with the nobles. Kenryuu nodded darkly, asked Enryuu to pick up Shuu, and they ran towards the bush where Lurichiyo was supposed to be hiding. She came out from her hideout by herself, staring at the strange, purple-haired woman. Lurichiyo's green eyes looked sad, and worried. "Come, princess, let's go home", Kenryuu suggested, offering his hand. The woman turned her face so that Lurichiyo could see her eyes, and the young princess gasped. _Anger. Bemusement. Pity. Contempt. _"Princess..?" Lurichiyo shuddered, as if waking up from a dream. "Why did you have to leave the mansion _and _Seireitei? Princess? And taking Shuu-dono with you-!"

Maréne watched them leave, smiling at how the young, dark-haired man was scolding the princess. "So, Shinigami? Will you already spit it out?" _They're right, I did overreact to the spider. But... whenever I'm here... It's a reflex, anyway. Kill those you don't like, or get killed by those who don't like you. That's all. _

"Things have changed majorily the last time you were here", Ukitake said in a serious tone. "We... the Gotei 13 has changed a lot. Captains have been changed due to.. many reasons. And now, we're at war."

"Hold it", Maréne said, lifting her hand. "Did they die or change sides?"

"Both", Kyoraku said, his eyes closed and arms crossed. Marénes eyes went wide again, but she said nothing. But the Captains gave no more information on that, so she asked them to continue. "We've lost three Captains", Ukitake explained. "And have yet to replace their seats. Just a while ago we thought we had a suitable Captain for the 3rd Squad, but he was a traitor, after all. And this is a huge problem, since three seats are empty, and four Captains have been sent to Hueco Mundo to help the Subsitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, and his friends."

"So, you've running 7 Captains short in total", Maréne said in a monotonous tone.

"..Yes. And this is why we need help."

"What? From me? I'm a broken toy, Captains. And you know it." The men stared at her in silence, Ukitake looking uneasy, Kyoraku hiding his face underneath his hat. "And besides, I'm not a Shinigami."

"That's why we need you", Kyoraku said, to her surprise. "You're in debt for us and don't really care for our issues. You have no real enemies inside the Gotei 13. You have no friends in here either. Judging by what you told us long time ago, you used to be a commander of some sort. What we need is a strong-willed person who knows how to fight - and protect those under his or her command. That's familiar for you, isn't it not - Colonel Maréne?" There was a flash in his eyes, and his gentle smile was, from Maréne's point of view, somewhat fishy.


	4. The Plan

CH4: The Plan

It was now Maréne's time to reconsider the situation. Ukitake and Kyoraku had explained it all to her the best they could, starting from the events that had taken place over a century ago, up until the day young Kurosaki Ichigo was transformed into a Shinigami, how he saved Kuchiki Rukia from execution, the betrayal performed by Aizen Soosuke, Ichimaru Gin and Kaname Tousen; how Inoue Orihime, a friend of Kurosaki, was kidnapped by Aizen's troops, and the recent incident with Kasumi-Oji family and Shuusuke Amagai, a short-term Captain for the 3rd Squad.

"Ha, so the people we just met were from that family, right?" Maréne said, cleaning her ear with her finger. The Captains nodded. "Hmm.. Interesting. Judging by what Kyoraku-san just said, you want me to find someone to fill the three gaps on your side, correct?"

"We~ll", Kyoraku said, looking at the sun, which was about to disappear. "Kinda."

"Kinda?" Maréne's voice was colder than before.

"We're actually planning to fill the gaps with people who are strong but have nothing to do with the Shinigami", Ukitake tried to explain, but Maréne saw no sense in that.

"You guys have just been betrayed by a bunch of people. Why would you allow strangers to-"

"Because you'd be be strangers", Kyoraku said. "People would be aware of your strangeness, and so if you did something suspicious, we'd know of it faster."

And suddenly Maréne uderstood. Of course! The Gotei 13 had been betrayed by people _everyone_ had known all the time: no one had been able to believe they could do something like that. She bowed her head. "Heh... To enter such an atmosphere again..."

"So you'll agree?" Ukitake asked hastily.

"Hmm... Just one more thing. There's something going on in Tokyo also. Car accidents. No drugs or diseases involved." She looked at the two men with her green eyes glowing, her iris of the shape of a cat's. "If I agree with you, will you help me to find out what the hell is going on down there?"

"Well, we can't promise Yama-jii will support you, but our Squads will try their best", Kyoraku said, placing his hand on her shoulder. Maréne looked at his hand in disapproval.

"I'm sorry for your losses", she suddenly said.

"Nah, it's been so long, Maréne-chan, don't worry about it. Now, shall we go? By feet. I don't think 12th Squad would approve of your machine bursting through the protective shield, haha!" Leading the young woman by the shoulder and waving for Ukitake to follow them, Kyoraku headed back to the gates. Ukitake stood still for a moment. _If it works, then there'll be only two more seats to fill... _He hoped it would work, but at the same time Maréne's words repeated themselves in his mind: _..betrayed by a bunch of people... ..not in a condition to fight..._

"Maréne-san!" he cooed. He ran after them and Maréne turned to look at him. "You... You haven't healed yet, have you?" They stared at each other. Ukitake of course was not the best person to ask about someone else's health, but remembering her sickness made him worry whether their plan was any good after all or not.

"Silly", she said quietly. "_There's no cure_." That said, she shrugged Kyoraku's hand off her shoulder and walked on by herself. The two Captains followed her with their eyes for a while.

"She's a tough one, Ukitake. You shouldn't worry so much."

"..Guess so." But how tough was she, really?


	5. Putting the Plan into Action

CH5: Putting the Plan into Action

It was almost midnight when the remaining Captains received the call to meet in the 1st Squad's barracks. Hell Butterflies were flying towards the Captains' Chambers, waking them and their Vice-Captains up. Three Vice-Captains without their Captains also received a message from a Hell Butterfly, ordering them to join the Captains.

They all hurried. It was a time of emergency alerts, and obviously something new - and probably horrid - had happened. All the Captains and the three Vice-Captains stopped at the doorway, not believing their eyes. Ukitake Joshirou and Kyoraku Shunsui were standing in the middle of the gathering room, with a strange, purpler-haired woman between them. The woman had three swords hanging from her back, and guns on her sides. The 1st Squad's Captain, Yamamoto Genryuusai, was standing on his usual place, his eyes closed.

"Well, step on ii, Captains and Vice-Captains", Yamamoto ordered. The three in the middle did not move. "Take your appropriate places." Ukitake and Kyoraku nodded to the woman and went to their own places. "Now, let's begin", Yamamoto said. "Alya Maréne, as Ukitake and Kyoraku have already explained you, things have changed during the 100 years since we last saw you." He opened his eyes and looked straight at her eyes. "You claim that it has been only one year for you. Explain."

The woman shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry to say, but I've no idea. But I can assure you that ever since I ... left home, I've been carefully counting the time. And my car has been checking it for me, assuring me that my counting is correct."

"So you can move through time and space, is that what you are tying to say?"

The Shinigami listened in silence. Who was this woman?

"No."

"Very well then." Yamamoto opened his eyes again and glanced upon the Shinigami in the room. "Many of you must wonder why I have summoned this woman here. It is simple. 100 years ago, for us at least, she appeared in Soul Society, badly wounded and suffering from an illness. We helped her the best we could, and when she left she swore she'd pay us back. Now it's the time for that payback.

"As you all know, three of our Captains have betrayed us; and four are fighting alongside the Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, in Hueco Mundo. We thought we had an appropriate Captain for the 3r Squad, but Amagai Shuusuke was not the man we were searching for, after all.

"After considering the matter for months, we finally decided to do the following: we will, till the war with Aizen is over, recruit strong men and women outside the Gotei 13, the whole Shinigami system, to replace the empty seats."

"What?" many of the Captains said, obviously disapproving the idea.

"Silence!" The effect was immediate, and Maréne was stunned by that. "As I said, this will only occur till the war is over. And this is why this woman is here. I asked Urahara Kisuke to contact her and tell her to meet with Ukitake and Kyoraku, whom she knows from her last visit to Soul Society. They were to explain the situation to her and ask her if she was willing to consider our offer. In return, we will help her to find out what's going on in the city of Tokyo. The Squad under her command will investigate that while securing the safety of Seireitei."

"Wait, so this stranger will have one of our Squads under her command?" Hitsugaya Toushirou asked, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Ukitake-san and Kyoraku-san explained it to me so well, Hitsugaya-taichou; why don't you ask them to explain it to you as well?" the woman said softly, without turning around to look at the young Captain. Hitsugaya was so suprised by the fact she knew his name that he couldn't say a thing, so the woman continued: "This is what Kyoraku-san told me: _Because you'd be strangers. People would be aware of your strangeness, and so if you did something suspicious, we'd know of it faster._" She looked at Hitsugaya, her green eyes glowing strangely. She had a sad smile on her face.

"I see", Komamura Saijin said, looking carefully at the woman. "But she's not a Shinigami, so the Captain Proficiency Test cannot be performed as it's usually performed. There's no way she'd have a Bankai. We must find another way to test her."

"Komamura!" Hitsugaya growled. "Are you that ready to accept this madness?"

"Silence!" Yamamoto ordered again. "These are dangerous, strange times, and strange and even dangerous decisions must be made. I know of her from the past, and I will ask the questions that decide whether she'll become a temporary Captain or not. Alya Maréne, are you ready?"


	6. The Abnormal Captain Proficiency Test

CH6: The Abnormal Captain Proficieny Test

"Alya Maréne, are you ready?"

A flashback struck her. _Alya Maréne, are you ready? .. You have two options. One: to be put to death as a murderer of 30 men. Two: to become a soldier and work for us. ..Are you ready, her superior had asked before striking her with his katana-_

"Alya Maréne?"

She was drawn back to the reality from her memories. _Stay the hell out of my head. _"I guess so", she muttered. The old man's eyes were open again, and they pierced right through her.

"Are you still suffering from that illness that bothered you back then?"

"Yes. There's no cure." Saying that was a lot more easier than it had been. But she knew how her face would look like: emotionless. Her eyes were _his_ eyes again.

"What sickness?" Hitsugaya claimed to know.

Maréne looked into the eyes of the 1st Squad's Captain, and the old man nodded slightly. "For me it has been... 11 years or so. I was infected by an alien matter." Her fists clutched, but she relaxed her muscles. "No, let me rephrase that... I joined a company which needed soldiers to protect them and their ... their inventions. We, their dogs, were part of their inventions. Human experiments."

Silence had fallen upon the room.

"I'm part of the results. There was a creature, with... strange but great powers. Cells of that creature were ... well, we were infected by them. And then they showered us with the energy they had found, energy formed by hundreds and hundreds of dead souls... Our minds were merged with their memories, and those who survived gained an elite soldier's status." She took a deep breath, her eyes cast on the ground. "Those who couldn't take it.. their voices.. their pain.. their sadness... well. They became... vegetables, if I may say. They got lost in the stream of the dead's memories.

"Sometimes our bodies try to fight against that energy, and that's when .. the sickness occurs. And there's more to it." _He. _"There was a soldier... far greater than any other. We.. were to become his clones. So that, in case he'd die, he would claim our bodies and switch places with us; our personality vanishing, his remaining."

Hitsugaya's eyes were wide, and everyone else in the room looked horrified as well. "I see", he finally said, retreating back to his place. Maréne nodded, her head still bowed. "But doesn't that make her even more dangerous to Gotei 13?"

"Sephiroth's dead", the woman suddenly said. "It is true that he might come and claim my body for himself... but that's most unlikely, since he's a male and I'm a female." Her smile was more of a frown than a grin. "And there's a way to force him out of me." She tilted her head to the left, her eyes shining with the energy she had been showered with. "He doesn't like wounded tools. Would take too much of his own power to recover." For some reason her grin reminded Hitsugaya of Zaraki Kenpachi, the Captain of 11th Squad.

"So you're ready to hurt yourself to keep him off?" Komamura confirmed. The woman simply nodded.

"I see", said Yamamoto. "Alya Maréne, there are a few more questions before I recommend you a Squad. Have you finally accepted the loss of your right arm?"

The woman rose her head, astonished by the question. Everyone except for Ukitake and Kyoraku startled, and turned their eyes back on the woman. Her eyes were filled with... fear. Hatred. "Well", she said, her voice trembling, "as you can see-" she lifted her right arm "-I've learned to make _this. _So I'd say no, I haven't accepted that." And she broke the spell covering the truth of her right arm. It was a metallic one, with fiver fingers and a logo carved on its side. "'Tis the arm they gave me as a replacement", she said in a rather bitter tone.

"Replacement?" Hitsugaya repeated quietly.

"Alya Maréne, this might be unnecessary to ask, but have you accepted what the company you used to work for has done to you, including the experiments done to you and the loss of your arm?"

"What?" The Captains and the Vice-Captains looked confused. The woman seemed angry, and disappointed.

"..Sometimes... I think yes. Sometimes... not."

"Wait", Hitsugaya interrupted again. "The company you used to work for... they...?"

"...We elite soldiers were becoming too great for them to handle. There were seven of First Class SOLDIERs. Four were .. executed, and erased from the database of the company. My arm was cut off; Sephiroth was driven into madness by letting him know the truth of his origins; and Zack... was slaughtered by hundreds of other soldiers." Her voice was dull, as if telling that all meant actually nothing to her.

"What kind of company did she work for?" Kira Izuru, the Vice-Captain of the 3rd Squad, whispered.

"The last question, Alya Maréne", Yamamoto suddenly said. His eyes were open again, shimmering with feelings no one could recognize. "If you receive the hayori of a Captain, will you be able to think of yourself as a human again?"

Maréne's eyes widened, and were filled with tears.

Yamamoto Genryuusai leaned forwards. "Will you be able to, as long as you act as a Captain, not to refer to yourself as a killing tool?"


	7. Decisions

CH7: Decisions

Alya Maréne was silent for a long, long time. Memories were spinning in her head, as well as the words of Yamamoto Genryuusai. _Will you be able to not to refer to yourself as a killing tool? ...human... _"It has been... so long... since I was called a human", she whispered to the floor. "So long... since we were shown any signs of humanity..."

_Shouldn't you take on the chance, then? Alya_

Maréne rose her head again, her eyes wide with surprise. Mako energy had gone, revealing the true colour of her eyes. She was standing on a field of flowers. She sensed them. They were with her. "Zack", she whispered. "Aerith."

_You've grown a bit, Alya_

She felt a poke on her side. A familiar poke. And as she turned to look, she saw him. He was smiling, his black hair swinging in the wind that also caressed her cheek. And then she saw her green, gentle eyes and a warm smile. Tears filled Maréne's eyes. "Zack! I'm sorry I couldn't-"

_Nah, it's okay. Besides, it seems it was my to go, huh_

"No", she replied, clutching her fists. "It was all wrong... for us all... It shouldn't have never happened..!"

_Alya_

This time it was Aerith who talked to her.

_The past cannot be changed. What was done to you is of course horrible, but... isn't it about time to move on? Alya_

Their words hurt her. Yet she knew them to be honest with her. And they were doing exactly the same Yamamoto Genryuusai had asked from her: to accept, and to move on.

She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking about that. When she opened her eyes again, the two had disappeared, just like the flower field, leaving her with the Shinigami of Gotei 13. Maréne looked at the eyes of the Captain-Commander and smiled. "I guess it's about time to move on, huh?"

"Then it has been decided." Everyone straightened up. "I suggest you, Alya Maréne, to become the Captain of the 9th Squad. Three Captains of the other Squads are to test you in a combat." That said, Maréne turned to face the rest of the Captains. Hisagi Shuuhei, the Vice-Captain of the 9th Squad, looked astonished.

"The test will continue outside", Yamamoto Genryuusai added.


	8. Those Who Fight

CH8: Those Who Fight

Alya Maréne was to fight against Hitsugaya Toushirou, Komamura Saijin and Soi Fon.

_Greetings to everyone. I know this comes as a surprise to you, but I'm your new Captain. A temporary one, to be honest; till the battle against Aizen is over._

Her first opponent was Hitsugaya, who released his Zanpakuto immediately, calling for the power of Hyorinmaru. Maréne watched him do that, her head leaned to the left again, quickly considering her options. She took one of her swords - a huge one, with a broad and long blade - and got ready, standing still. Hitsugaya's Hyorinmaru approached her quickly, but as the attack landed she was no where in sight.

_My appearance here may be a nuisance to some of you. I don't want to replace the empty hole your previous Captain left in your hearts. No, I'm barely a commander for you. It might be easier for you if you think about it that way._

"You've huge power, Hitsugaya-san", Maréne said behind his back. "But such a release is also quite slow.." She slashed down with her sword, almost managing to cut a wound on his back. Hitsugaya dodged, and tried a counter-attack. Suddenly he saw a strange shining on her right hand: there was a red, growing sphere...

_I also understand how uneasy you might feel. About me. But you know, that doesn't bother me a bit. First of all, I'm merely paying back a debt I own to the Gotei 13. Secondly, I'm used to be in a uneasy condition like I'm in now. When I raised in the ranks of Shinra's elite troops, I was called a whore - everyone thought I'd spread my legs to the big guys and thus became a SOLDIER. But that's not the truth. When it comes to outer apperance, my self-esteem's always been low. I never had any intention to get laid by any of other SOLDIERs or the Shinra executives. No. There was only one way to raise._

[Summoning: Ifrit, the Power of Fire

Hitsugaya realized he was in trouble, and tried to summon for his Bankai - but it was too late. The creature Maréne had summoned was already attacking Hyorinmaru, and suddenly he was hit by her sword. But she didn't finish the blow: she held her broad sword close to his neck and smiled.

"Winner: Alya Maréne", Yamamoto Genryuusai pronounced. "Komamura Saijin, please take Hitsugaya's place." Komamura nodded his huge head, drew his sword and attacked head-on. Maréne easily blocked his first attack, took another of her swords and plunged it towards his stomach. That attack was blocked, and the two indulged into a battle of strength. Komamura had the advance of being big and strong, but Maréne was quicker with her movements, and finally - after getting behind his back - landed the final strike on his neck, holding the tip of her blade against it.

"Is she using shunpo?" Izuru wondered aloud.

Kyoraku shook his head. "No", he said quietly, watching how Maneré jumped back to the ground and bowed to Komamura.

"Then how...?"

_Hisagi Shuuhei. Your position must be the worst. Still, I'm asking you to stay as the Vice-Captain of the 9th __Squad since you already know everyone and so on. Besides, I do need help with this whole Captain-thing. So.. I'm asking you to stay by my side, and help me through this as long as I stay here. I need your help. _

"Soi Fon, please take Komamura's place."

Soi Fon released her Zanpakuto, ran towards Maréne - and disappeared. Maréne stood still, stunned at her opponent's speed. Suddenly she sensed someone was moving behind her back, and tried to turn around, lifting her right hand. It was stung by Soi Fon's Suzumebachi, the black tattoo-like immediately appearing on it. Maréne looked surprised, but continued with her fight. She put back her swords and drew her guns instead. A black visor appeared before her eyes, and there was a green flash on the visor. There were pale green and blue spheres forming on her right hand. She pointed Soi Fon with the guns and beckoned her to strike first. Soi Fon snorted at her weapons, and moved slightly to the right.

The sound of the gun pierced through the air. Everyone stood still, frozen to the spot. Maréne was still pointing at Soi Fon, some smoke forming from the point of her right hand's gun. Soi Fon looked down: there was a smoking hole right next to her right foot. Her face twisted to an angry grin, and she used shunpo to get to sting her opponent again: but the gun was shot twice, and now there were round little holes in her hayori as well. Maréne hadn't moved much, and she was still pointing at her with the guns.

Soi Fon decided to try again, and used the shunpo one more time to get to close with Maréne. But Soi Fon's eyes widened as she reappeared next to the other woman: during the few seconds Soi Fon had used with the shunpo move, Maréne had put back her guns and drawn her sword again - this time the third one she hadn't yet used, a small katana. Its blade was pushing against Suzumebachi, and it was after getting struck by Maréne's right hand that Soi Fon realized the old change-sword-hand- trick. Maréne had used her right hand as her sword hand during her fight with Hitsugaya, both of her hands during her fight with Komamura - Soi Fon had thought she was right-handed.

"I am, actually", Maréne suddenly said. "Right-handed. But you know, I had to learn to fight with my left hand as well." She smirked at her opponent.

"Enough", Yamamoto called. "Alya Maréne, you have fought well. The Captain Proficiency Test is over, and I hereby nominate this woman as the temporary Captain of the 9th Squad. This decision is also supported by the Central 46, who were informed by this plan some weeks ago. Sasakibe Choujirou, please handle her her hayori."

As Maréne threw over herself the clothing, the wind took it into its hand and made it dance behind her back.

_So, how about it, Hisagi Shuuhei? Will you accept me as your new Captain - for the time being?_


	9. Burning Down the Bridges Behind part I

CH9: Burning Down the Bridges Behind part I

"So~o, Shuuhei-kun, what's your new Captain like?" Matsumoto Rangiku giggled, holding up a mug of sake. She offered one to Hisagi Shuuhei, who sat next to the window, lost in his thoughts.

"Oh? Hmm. I don't know yet..." Hisagi let his head fell a bit, looking troubled. _Your position must be the worst. Still... I'm asking for your help. Will you accept me?_ His new Captain's words played in his head.

It was the day after the decision had been made. Immediately after her nomination, she had asked Hisagi to make sure everyone would be waiting for her outside the Captain's Chambers in the morning so she could introduce herself to the Squad. The speech she had held was... strange, but effective. Everyone seemed to have welcomed her, to some extend. He told this to Matsumoto, Kira Izuru, Iba Tetsuzaemon, Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika, who were curious to know how the new Captain was doing.

"Eehh", Matsumoto said, taking the other sake mug for herself. "That's too bad."

It was afternoon, the sun would soon start its journey behind the horizon. Captain Maréne had been walking around the barracks of the 9th Squad with Hisagi, trying to get to know the area and the people within it. They hadn't talked much, except for the Captain's questions and Hisagi's answers.

"Well, I wish you better luck than I had with Amagai-san", Kira said, bowing his head in embarassment. Hisagi nodded to that.

"Wonder when and how they're gonna fill the two other missing seats, eh", Madarame said, leaning forward towards Hisagi, a grin on his face.

The group fell into a silence. Everyone was thinking their own thoughts, when suddenly Matsumoto said: "Eee, speak of the devil - look who's there!" Everyone turned to the direction she pointed at, and saw Alya Maréne walking towards the woods. She was carrying a bag on her back. "Wonder where she's going.. Hisagi!"

Hisagi had stood up, his hand on his hip where he usually held his Zanpakuto. He was staring at his Captain's back, looking even more troubled. The others exchanged glances, and Madarame stood up as well. "Well, better find out, eh? Right, Hisagi?" Hisagi said nothing, but started marching after Maréne. The others followed him, Madarame holding his sword behind his neck. _Unbelievable that she'd do something suspicious already, so soon after her nomination. _It was indeed unbelievable, and the group hurried after the white hayori that waved at them from the middle of the trees.

"Maréne-taicho~u!" Matsumoto cooed all of a sudden, scaring the hell out of her companions. "Maréne-san, where are you going?"

Maréne froze for a while before she turned around. She looked sad. "Ah, Matsumoto Rangiku, Vice-Captain of the 10th Squad. And Hisagi-san." Her eyes narrowed. "My, what an escort I have... The 3rd Seat and the 4th Seat of the 11th Squad, Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika. Put down your sword, by the way, Madarame-san, there's no need for that. And then... Vice-Captain of the 7th Squad, Iba Tetsuzaemon, and Kira Izuru, Vice-Captain of the 3rd Squad."

"Maréne...taichou, what are you doing?" Hisagi asked, his hand still on his hip.

Maréne noticed that, and sighed. "Well, I guess I can't turn you lot around anymore, heh... Follow me, if you please." She turned and kept on walking, without giving them any explanation. "You're not coming, after all?"

Hisagi ran after her, slowing down right after cathing up with her. He looked curiously at the bag, but said nothing. The rest followed also, all remaining respectively silent. They walked like that for some minutes. Then, when they reached an open area, Maréne stopped and dropped the bag on the ground. "This should do", she said quietly, nodding to herself. Hisagi looked around. Trees grew thickly together, and there was a little river nearby. Maréne took her bag, dragged it along right next to the river and opened the knot. She sat on her knees and started to pick up things from the depths of the bag.

A file, with some text on its cover.

Photographs.

And finally, a box that looked like a birthday present.

"Maréne-san", Kira said. The group stood where they had first stopped.

"Ah. You can come closer and have a look at them with me, if you want to." She turned so she could smile at them. "I... I'd actually like to share these with someone. But... it's okay if you don't want to. After all, I'm a stranger to you, and these are my past."

"Your past?" Yumichika repeated.

Madarame snorted. "He! The hell are you up to, Maréne-taichou?"

Maréne turned back to the items she had taken off from the bag. "I already said you don't have to look if you're not interested. But... whatever you decide to do, please do not interrupt me."

Hisagi narrowed his eyes, and finally decided to go by his Captain. Matsumoto followed with Kira and Yumichika, leaving Madarame and Iba standing by themselves. For some odd reason, Matsumoto reached Maréne first, and peeked over her shoulder. "What's that?"

Maréne touched the cover carefully, almost gently. "I'm not sure... I've never looked before. I just..." She showed the cover and the text on it. Hisagi, Kira and Matsumoto bent closer to see better.

FILE: 230912, SPECIMEN 4581

ALYA MARÉNE

[FAILURE]

"What the...?" The Shinigami couldn't believe their eyes.

Suddenly Kira felt a push on his back. Iba and Madarame were looking over his shoulder, trying to stretch themselves so they could see something behind the trio's backs. "What's in there?" Madarame demanded to know. Then, when he saw the text, his eyes went wide.

Maréne smirked. _Failure. _Of course. She opened the first page.


End file.
